While we wait...

Little ones have small appetites and short patience waiting for adults to finish eating.  We'll sit on the patio and wait for the others.

Roasting Corn and Selling Fruit

As we were investigating the area toward Rio Grande City we spotted this street vendor getting her corn on the grill and preparing to sell it and oranges.  Roasted corn is a favorite of many here (including me) and is often sold by street-side vendors along with their other wares.

Kiss the Cook

We really enjoy the food, the people and especially the colors of this part of the country.  (El Patio Restaurant, Mission, TX)

Bridge over Taneycomo

There is something mysterious about the mist rising off the lake as the sun rises.  The Lake Taneycomo Bridge is one of my favorite structures and, of many photographs I shot from different positions, I think this is the only one that does it justice.  (Branson, MO)

Great Blue Heron

...and he looks pretty regal down at South Padre Island

Dance with me

Snowy Egret thinks his reflection is his dancing partner.

Mirror, Mirror

We were out on a dock at St Marys, Georgia, and this snowy egret danced and watched his reflection as though he was looking into a mirror.

Angels Trumpet

There is an angel's trumpet that grows beside our community pool deck back home.  It is beautiful as you approach the pool, but is especially beautiful up close and personal.

Fungi

Sometimes you look up, as with sunrises, sunsets and stars, sometimes you look around for birds, animals and landscapes, and sometimes you can just look down and find really interesting things.

Sandhill Cranes

While we were visiting Bushnell, Florida, we had a pair of Sandhill Cranes who entertained us almost daily.  They would squawk and dance and just stroll around the campground.  One even came up the our motorhome door and acted as though he wanted to come in for a visit.

They are beautiful and interesting birds.

When we returned to Sumter Oaks in 2012, the cranes were still there and came by our site to greet us. 

Green Jay

The Green Jay is another colorful bird in this area.

Texas Sunsets

We all enjoy a beautiful sunset and we've certainly had our share of them here in the Rio Grande Valley.

One of these days I may even get up early enough to catch a sunrise !

Thrasher

I enjoyed watching this Thrasher scurrying around the edge of the lake.

Vermillion Flycatcher

This beautiful boy wouldn't come close enough for a portrait, so I shot him on the utility wire and then cropped the photo down.  They are very small birds and extremely colorful. Here he is shopping for flybys for breakfast and frequently was up off the wire and then back down again.  (Bentsen State Park)

Plain Chachalaca

The Plain Chachalacas were quite active this morning and just after I took this shot all the birds around the feeding stations took off, screaming as they flew away.  The ranger explained that a bobtail cat was sneaking up to attempt a breakfast feeding, but the birds were way to quick for him on this morning.  (Bentsen State Park)

Altamira Oriole

This is another very colorful bird living in the Valley, and this one is enjoying a little morning orange juice.  (Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park)

Javelina

We actually saw three Javelinas (Collared Peccary) while we were visiting Santa Ana Refuge and all three took off like gangbusters as we rounded the corner.  After doing some research, we learned that they are also called a skunk pig because of strong scent glands.  It is a member of the peccary family, a group of hoofed mammals originating from South America.  We also learned that they are aggressive and will attack humans so we're not unhappy that they took off as we approached.

Great Kiskadee

This Great Kiskadee kept his eye on us -- they are such beautiful birds and are plentiful here in the Valley (Santa Ana Refuge)

And this one is determined to indulge in some suet.  (Bentsen State Park)

Great Egret has Lunch

He did get this big fellow down the hatch and we are sure he was quite satisfied as he flew off for his afternoon nap. (Santa Ana Refuge)

Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge

We saw this Black-necked Stilt during our visit to the refuge.  Doesn't he have beautiful legs, and do check out his eyes--they appear almost human.

By the well

 

As you can see, we took Winston along on this excursion and he was one happy boy rambling around these grounds.  He is so attuned to the sand spurs here that I really think we could just let him loose and he would never leave the walkways.

Cabbage Patch

As we traveled along, parallel to the Rio Grande River, we passed acres of cabbage patches (LOL).  As you can see, the fields don't discriminate between green and red cabbage and that's a good thing.

Harris's Hawk warning us to stop

As we approached this stop sign near the Academy, this hawk just stood there as if to say:  This is my territory--go away.  I took several shots of him before we pulled away and he was totally oblivious to the clicking of the camera shutter.

Juan Diego Academy

While we were up on the levy road we noticed this structure off in the distance.  Being naturally curious as we are, we headed off in that direction and found this Catholic Regional High School.  This old facade, we assume, is from a destroyed building--probably by disaster--and newer structures are within the posted fenced area that we assume are the current school facilities.  The original entrance was flanked by these brick columns topped with crosses.  What a fine structure it must have been.

Chapel on the Little Hill

We observed a statue of the Virgin Mary, also surrounded by flowers, and a structure that we don't understand:  perhaps part of the kitchen of the original ranch or a replica of Christ's tomb...we really don't know and the signage nearby was not legible.  Near the picnic shelters there is a well that has been secured with bars for the safety of the children who play here.

La Lomita Chapel

As we walked the grounds around the chapel, we saw picnic shelters, restrooms, and up on the "little hill" you could enter the chapel where we found a beautiful shrine and altar.

There were, of course, pews and kneeling benches in this holy place and candles flickering on the altar, surrounded by colorful flowers.

La Lomita Chapel

Sunday morning--ah-h-h--no work, no worries.  We had our, what is becoming, a traditional breakfast out, this time at Nelda's.  Now we understand why the parking lot of this restaurant is so crowded:  good food and quick service.  We headed home to pick up Winston and headed out for a day trip.

We were actually looking for the Riverside Club that we had heard about, found it and a treasure just down the levy road:  The La Lomita Chapel ("The Little Hill").  The land originally came from a 1767 Spanish grant and was donated for the chapel in 1861.  The chapel was built in 1865 at a campsite on the Brownsville-Roma Trail and was relocated to this site in 1899.  The City of Mission was named for this landmark.

Winter Texan Snowman

By-golly, we may not have snow but that will not deter us.  This tropical tree had to be protected so it became a snowman to celebrate the freezing conditions (not that we really celebrated).  Having a little creativity and a sense of humor can get us through anything.

Where am I?

This poor Bird of Paradise doesn't know what to think or what hit it so hard for the past three nights.

The Sun Shines

You know what they say?  This, too, shall pass and it did.  Today the sun brought everyone outside and the smiles all came back from their reclusion indoors.

Sleepy Valley freezes

Literally.  We were hit by the cold front that covered most of the central and eastern sections of the country.  There were lots of unhappy Winter Texans in this area since they and we came here to enjoy the tropical weather of RGV.

Pots and Pots of Beans

One of the popular food items was the ranchero beans, slow-cooked over charcoal.  They were Sooo good.  The cookout was judged later in the day and was followed by a parade that included a float carrying the Queen and King of Sleepy Valley Resort.  But, when we finished lunch, we headed home to rescue Winston from the confines of the motorhome.

Different cowboys

These coyboys looked a little different from the rest and traveled with an Airstream, but they were with the group that cooked our food and they certainly knew how to do that.

What a food court

The Mission Cookoff involved a huge circle of outdoor smokers and bean and bread pots covered with hot coals.  We enjoyed a fajita taco and some ranchero beans from one of the teams, very delicious.

Texas Citrus Festival

Mission had a Citrus Festival last weekend.  Since they were having a cookoff, as in food, Pete and I decided to go over for lunch. There was an awards tent where they had citrus fruits that had been judged and awarded prestigious ribbons and trophies.  Each category of fruit had its own judging, and I asked Pete to put his hand by these grapefruit to show size--as in the grapefruit were huge!

Every Creature Needs Love

Some might say this couple is most unattractive.  However, I found them to be quite enchanting and after a couple of shots I just had to go over an give Pete a big hug because all of us need love.  (Bentson Rio Grande Valley State Park)

Lunch Time

After the dancing, he spotted a bite to eat. A quick swallow later, he was off and dancing again.

Encouragement

Having been encouraged by a recently organized photography enthusiasts group here at Sleepy Valley Resort to create a blog, I decided to jump right in.  My first post will be two of my favorite subjects that appeared in front of my lens here in Texas.  This is a Reddish Egret that we spotted during a recent visit to South Padre Island.  He is a very active fellow and performed lots of dances while we watched.